


Close to you, I'm home

by OneWithoutAName



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alpha Erik, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Charles Xavier Needs a Hug, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, CherikWeek2020, Erik Has Feelings, Erik Lehnsherr Needs a Hug, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nesting, Omega Charles, Raven Is Just Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24526441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneWithoutAName/pseuds/OneWithoutAName
Summary: As Erik is searching the manor, he finds something strange in the attic. He knows that he needs to go to Charles, if he wants some answers. After all, why would there be a nest in a small dusty attic room, when there were countless rooms with ridiculously soft beds all around the manor?
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 12
Kudos: 298
Collections: Cherik Week 2020





	Close to you, I'm home

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to make a A/B/O fic about cherik for a loooong time, s when I saw it was one of the prompts in Cherik Week, I knew this was my chance.

It was a habit of Erik’s to investigate every building or room he spent the night in. A habit that he knew was one of the many burdens from his past. The constant sense of threat in the camps, knowing that Schmidt could at any point come to his cell and use him in his experiments. He always had to be aware of all possible exits, points of weakness and hiding places and over the years he had honed the ability to search any area as effectively as possible. Yet, Xavier estate turned out to be a challenge for his abilities. The manor alone had countless rooms and with its grounds, it took Erik days to find every single nook.

Or so he had thought. Every day, at some point he circled around the house, inside and out, to make sure no one had broken in. Charles had assured him that he would be able to feel in his mind, if someone came too close to the manor, but Erik had to make sure. He remembered how Emma Frost had blocked Charles out, so it wasn’t too hard to believe that there were others who could somehow do the same. So, he walked through the empty corridors, looking for anything that was out of place or if he could smell someone new. It was one advantage of the house, it had been abandoned for so long, that smell of anyone new would be easy to detect.

It was an afternoon of second week they’d been living in the manor when Erik found the smaller attic. He felt angry at himself, for not finding it sooner and leaving such a perfect hiding spot unguarded. But to his defence, it was well hidden from the naked eye, only small metal hinges of the hatch door in the ceiling gave it out to Erik. Those and the small metal parts of the ladder that was lowered down when the hatch was opened Erik had probably just seen them as background noise of his powers before today. Failure on his part, he needed to be more careful in the future.

The attic itself was small and the ceiling was low. Compared to the most of the other rooms in the manor, it seemed more like a broom closet, but it did have a small window on one wall letting the afternoon sun light small specs of dust that were dancing in the air. It was full of cardboard boxes, leaving barely any room to move and Erik would have left his investigation to that, if there hadn’t been the smell. It was faint sweet scent, old like the most rooms of the house, but familiar somehow. Erik climbed the rest of the way to the attic and looked around again. Nothing seemed out of place, but he smelled the air couple times again and followed the strange scent further in the room. He moved couple of boxes out of his way and that was when he found it. Behind the boxes, in the corner of the room was a small set of dusty blankets and pillows. There was also a lonely teddy bear, sitting atop of small pile of books and beside those was a big flashlight. It was quite sad attempt, but Erik still recognised the structure nevertheless. It was a nest.

Curious, Erik moved couple more boxes so he was able to crawl closer. The smell was strongest here, but still very faint. It was strange, why would there be a nest in this small dusty attic room, when there were countless rooms with ridiculously soft beds all around the manor? The thought circled around Erik’s mind as he moved the teddy bear carefully down on top of the blankets and examined the books. There were three in total, a storybook with different fairy tales, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and what looked like to be a school book about biology. A suspicion formed in Erik’s head and he paused for a moment, before he touched one of the blankets. It felt rough, unlike other blankets or quilts he had encountered in the manor. It was also thin and the other blankets weren’t much better. The pillows were over stuffed, too hard and unyielding to be comfortable. Erik frowned, this was not making any sense. Carefully, he brought the blanket close to his nose and smelled it. Under the fusty smell of the dust and attic was sweetness and mix of lemon, tea and ink. Smell of Charles. Extremely faint and slightly different than it was now days, but still him. 

Erik frowned, trying to make some sense of this and his mind went back to a conversation he had heard Raven and Hank having.

_“Charles has been quite tense these couple of days, don’t you think?” Hank had mentioned to Raven, they had been sitting in the kitchen so the alpha had probably dragged the beta scientist’s arse out of the lab to eat. Erik had just been passing the kitchen door when he heard the subject of the conversation. Not thinking about his motivations too much, he stopped to listen in._

_“I suppose. It has been a stressful time for all of us.” Raven brushed off the question, not sounding too concerned._

_“It’s just that, all the classic signs are there. Maybe we could manage to convince him to take an afternoon off some day. You know, give him time to nest.” There was complete silence for a short moment until Raven spoke._

_“What do you mean?” She tried to sound indifferent, but Erik heard the tension in her voice._

_“I know he is an omega, Raven. I read his medical file before I let him use the cerebro.” Hank explained, but his voice trembled slightly. He was most likely scared that he’d end up in alpha’s bad side._

_“Well, it doesn’t matter really. Charles doesn’t nest.” She stated and made both Erik and Hank confused._

_“What? What do you mean?” The beta asked and Raven let out a sigh._

_“Just what I said. I’ve never seen him nest. Not even while he was sweating through the university. Probably something to do with the suppressants.” She shrugged, but Hank wasn’t convinced._

_“That doesn’t make any sense. Even on suppressants omegas display their natural traits.” His know it all tone made Erik grind his teeth, but it didn’t seem to bother Raven._

_“Well then it might be his telepathy. But the truth is, Charles has never had to nest to get through stressful period in his life. He’s just weird like that.”_

After that, their conversation turned to something else and Erik moved away, pondering this new information about his friend.

This little nook told otherwise, although it was obvious that it hadn’t been used for a long time and it was way too small for an adult to fit comfortably. Erik looked around one more time before he decided to take the teddy bear with him, its light brown fur had turned coarse with time, and backed away from the corner. If he wanted answers, he’d need to go to Charles. Erik climbed down the ladder and took a moment to get most of the dust off his clothes and the bear. Easier said than done, especially with his black turtleneck, but after few minutes of swiping and rubbing he deemed himself presentable enough.

Erik headed towards Charles’ study, where he no doubt was working on some legal papers related to the estate or planning new ways to teach the teenagers about their powers. Since they came to stay here, the telepath seemed to always be busy, always going somewhere or doing something. Only times he seemed to take a break were their nightly chess matches. They’d sit together in the library and talk about irrelevant things, drinking expensive scotch. Wasting time, Erik would have thought before, but he found those hours spent in the omega’s company to be enjoyable and afterwards, when he headed to bed, it was easier to fall asleep, already feeling relaxed. Erik hadn’t felt this relaxed for a long time, not since his childhood and if he was honest, he had thought that he wouldn’t get the chance ever again. He didn’t trust people and people didn’t trust him, avoiding him as much as possible. But then Charles had appeared, saved him and when Erik had tried to push him away, he had stayed. It didn’t make any sense, as a telepath it should be obvious to Charles that Erik was a broken man, an alpha turned into a monster. But Charles hadn’t turned around and run, but stayed and treated him with gentleness that Erik forgot existed in this world. He hadn’t asked about it, but the question of why had been in his mind from the first night they’d met.

Maybe today, he’d get some answers.

Erik felt the familiar hum of Charles’ watch inside the study long before he made it to the door, one certain way for him to find the omega anywhere in the estate. It might have made him slightly too pleased, but he assured himself that it was just because it eased his mind to know where people were. That excuse might have been easier to buy, if he paid that kind of attention to any other occupant. He knocked on the door and opened it before he could get an answer. Charles was sitting behind a large wooden desk and didn’t look up as Erik made his way there, focused on whatever he was writing. But he wasn’t oblivious to his surroundings either.

“Erik, did you need something?” The telepath asked with a smile when the alpha sat down on the chair in front of the desk, like Erik’s presence alone made his day better.

Erik wasn’t sure how he should approach the subject, he’d tried to form some kind of plan as he was walking to the study, but hadn’t come to any satisfying conclusion. If this was an interrogation, it would be much easier.

“Actually, I found something strange and hoped that you’d be able to shed some light to it.” He ended up saying, his tone just serious enough that Charles moved to look at him with curious expression. Erik took in his rumpled clothes, faint dark circles under his eyes and slightly messy hair, like the telepath had excessively run his fingers through it and suddenly Erik wanted to reach out and smooth it. He didn’t manage to move his hand at all when Charles’ voice brought him back to the moment.

“I will do my best to do so, my friend. What exactly did you find that left you so puzzled?” Charles asked, still smiling and Erik saw no reason to run around the subject. So, he lifted the teddy bear to the table and watched closely as Charles expression went from curiosity to confusion and then recognition, followed by a sad smile with a faraway look, like he was suddenly caught up in a memory.

“I found your nest. The one in the attic.” Erik told, though he believed that the clarification wasn’t needed.

He watched as Charles took the teddy bear, holding it carefully in his hands before putting it back down with a sigh.

“How did you find out it was mine?” Charles asked, his mind still clearly somewhere else.

“I recognised your scent.” Erik answered honestly and Charles let out an amused sigh, mumbling something under his breath, which sounded like, “Damn alphas and their noses”, and leaned back on his chair. Suddenly he looked more wary than moment ago.

“You don’t seem that surprised about it.” Charles noted and Erik picked the unasked question in there.

“I suspected it from the start, your beta cologne didn’t quite withstand the power of the ocean, but I couldn’t be sure until I saw your suppressants in your bag when we travelled across the states.” Erik hadn’t thought about it much back then. It had made sense that Charles would want to keep his heats away while working with CIA and especially while he was traveling with a dangerous alpha. The cologne wasn’t that strange either, many omegas used beta scents time to time, because of personal preference or to keep unwanted alphas away. But from what Raven had said, Charles had been using both for much longer than Erik had thought.

The telepath was looking at him with puzzled expression.

“You’ve known all this time and yet never treated me any differently.” Charles said slowly, like he didn’t quite believe the words himself and Erik had to rise his eyebrows hearing that.

“That is not entirely true. I’ve treated you very differently than I usually treat people, but not because you’re an omega.” Erik assured the telepath. Charles was brilliant man, confident and Erik had seen him put alphas on their places many times during their stay at the facility and their road trip. Erik had only respect for him and he couldn’t understand why Charles would be so adamant to hide what he was.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you.” Charles shrugged and Erik leaned forwards, looking him straight in the eye.

“I’ve come to realise that you know so much about my past, when I know next to nothing about yours.” He spoke the words with all sincerity he had, hoping that Charles could hear that he was not demanding answers, just curious about his friend. It had been a while since he had one and he didn’t want to mess this up. Charles frowned slightly, clearly thinking hard about something and Erik sat there and waited patiently.

Eventually, Charles sighed and took the bear to his hands once more, looking at it rather than Erik when he spoke.

“His name is Mr. Bear and my father gave him to me when I was two, I think, so don’t judge my naming skills too harshly.” Charles chuckled and Erik found himself smiling just slightly, holding back from commenting anything. When Charles continued, his voice became bittersweet. “He wasn’t too happy that I was an omega. There were complications during the pregnancy and it would have been dangerous for my mother to have more children and so I was his only heir. This made everything more difficult. You see, even though omega rights have come a long way, it was still most unorthodox in upper class circles to let omega child inherit everything. But, my father, even when he sometimes wished he had alpha or even beta child, went against the expectations and made sure I did. He also made sure that I got proper schooling on variety of subjects, not just those deemed fitting for omegas. I didn’t want to disappoint my father further so I made sure I did well. I wanted him be proud of me, even when I was omega.”

“But when I was nine, there was an accident, a fire, in the lab my father worked in. He got trapped inside. Only one year later my mother remarried a colleague of my father’s, an alpha man named Kurt Marko. He and his son Cain, also an alpha, moved in and… suddenly life became much more complicated. Kurt liked to remind everyone that he was in charge, but still wanted to give others as little reason to criticise him as possible. And I was known to be an odd one in the new circles Kurt found himself in, so he made it his mission to set me straight. He wanted me to know my place as omega, don’t look alpha in the eye, only speak if you are spoken to, stay out of the way. He was quite creative with the punishments if he wanted to be, but usually he’d just use his alpha voice until I submitted.”

“Cain was his father’s son, couple years older than me and aggressive, always in need to assert his dominance. I learned to avoid him as much as possible, but I wasn’t always successful. He would beat me, make me show my stomach and neck while saying crass things he’d probably heard from his father or his other alpha friends. It happened more often if I showed any omega-like behaviour, like nesting.”

“One time Cain even burst in to my room while I was nesting, pushed me down from the bed and proceeded to pull everything else from it too. After that, I always locked the door, but he would just bang it and shout and… Well, let’s just say I didn’t feel safe there. So I took some pillows and quilts I knew no one would miss and brought them to the smaller attic. Cain didn’t know it even existed. After some time though, I stopped going there too, thought myself to live without it.”

Erik listened to Charles talk with growing anger inside him and he had to use every ounce of his control to not twist every metallic object in 30 feet radius. The sorrow in Charles voice had been plain to him even when the telepath had tried to keep his tone light and Erik wanted to find those men. Find them and make the rest of their very short life painful. Charles must have caught that thought.

“Oh my friend, part of me appreciates that, but I’ve moved on. And anyway, Kurt is already dead. Died in a car accident not long before I left to Oxford. Cain left shortly after the funeral, joined the army and I haven’t heard of him since. I’m not even sure if he is alive.” Charles said that, but he was also rubbing the back of his neck and the nerve endings there that reacted to touch. Firm enough pressure could make omega pliable and relaxed, but smoother touches were said to be just comforting. Soon Charles seemed to realise what he was doing and moved his hand to the armrest, holding to it just slightly too tightly to be natural. Erik collected that his anger no doubt did nothing to help the telepath and so he breathed deep, willing the anger away, to be used later when it was needed.

“And your mother? She did nothing?” Erik finally asked, but could already guess the answer. If Kurt had been so awful father he most likely hadn’t been a better husband.

“She was heartbroken after my father died. It’s bound to happen if one’s mate dies and she couldn’t move on. She drowned her sorrow in alcohol and mostly ignored everything happening around her.” Erik couldn’t believe Charles’ words. He didn’t remember much about his mother, the memories stolen from him by the time in the camps, but he wanted to believe that she could have never just turn away from him. Erik shook his head in disbelief. Everything started to make sense now. He was humbled that Charles trusted him enough to tell him all this.

“I’m starting to understand why you use suppressants. Growing in an environment like that.” He said solemnly and Charles offered him a small smile.

“It wasn’t all bad. After I found Raven in our kitchen, it became much easier to bear. But that time did leave its marks. Even after we moved away to Oxford and I met many wonderful and brilliant omegas, I just didn’t have it in me to be myself among others. The thought of it stressed me more than writing my thesis.” He let out a humourless chuckle. “Part of me knows it’s just in my head, but I just can’t help but feel… unnerved.” The last word came out almost like a whisper, so quiet that if Erik wasn’t listening as carefully as he was, he would have missed it. He cursed the desk that separated him from the omega, feeling his hands itching to touch, to comfort. A foreign feeling that he was almost terrified to listen to. But not terrified enough.

Erik stood up and walked around the table as Charles looked at him with big startled eyes, but didn’t move away. Erik crouched down beside the telepath and slowly, giving him time to move away if he wanted to, took a hold of his hand.

“You shouldn’t” Erik spoke gently and admired the slight blush that was rising on Charles’ cheeks as he was opening and closing his mouth in loss of words. “You are the most brilliant man I’ve ever met, Charles Xavier. You jumped into the ocean to save someone you didn’t even know, I’ve seen you stand your ground against alphas in the CIA and during our road trip and you ran after me into danger in Russia. You found us and you have taught us, showed us that we are not alone. Before I met you, I thought that there was no good in this world. You are more powerful than you give yourself credit for, you could have the whole world kneeling before you, if you so wished.” Erik didn’t know where these words were welling up from, but all of them were true and he needed Charles to believe him. The telepath looked more flustered with every word Erik said, the flush making its way under his shirt collar.

“Erik…” The alpha could tell that Charles was about to deny it, echoes of his childhood ringing in his mind no doubt, but Erik wasn’t about to give them a chance to hold his friend back anymore.

“Those _alphas_ ,” He growled the word, taste of it wrong in his mouth “had no idea what they were talking about. Don’t let their actions hold you back Charles.” The words were failing him, he had to make Charles see just how wonderful he actually was.

So he did something he never thought he would be comfortable with. He moved Charles’ hand in his and pressed the telepath’s fingers on his temple.

“Read my mind Charles. I want to show you how I see you.” Charles’ eyes widened with surprise.

“Are you sure?” He hesitated and Erik nodded, even when he felt slightly nervous. With a deep breath, Charles closed his eyes and then Erik felt his presence inside his mind. Just a gentle caress and Erik tried to keep his mind open, welcoming Charles deeper and showing him the memories and thoughts he had about the telepath. The first time they had met, the respect he had towards his power and confusion about his kind actions. His respect only grew with the time they spent together. Charles’ kindness, visions, his confidence amazed the alpha. Even when he had thought that the telepath was too naïve or his hope for the world was borderline childish, a part of Erik had wanted to believe him. He shined so bright and Erik was sure, that if he stayed too long, he would taint it with the darkness inside of him.

_‘That is not true my friend.’_ Charles spoke to his mind and suddenly he was pulled inside the telepath’s mind. Erik saw himself there, but he almost didn’t recognise himself. His eyes didn’t appear as cold as they did when he saw them staring back at him in the mirror and on his face was an expression of delight as he laughed at something Charles had said during a chess match. This man seemed relaxed, not expecting someone to attack at any moment. He seemed… happy. Foreign feelings lapped against his consciousness, delight, affection and trust and it took Erik a moment to realise that they were Charles’ feelings. Feelings towards him. Erik felt arms around him, not sure if they were Charles’ physical arms or was it all in their minds, but he found that it didn’t matter. They pulled Erik in to a warm hug and he went willingly.

 _‘You have so much more good in you Erik than you think. I’ve seen it.’_ Charles’ words were a whisper in his mind and made Erik overwhelmed with emotion. Everyone he’d met had seen Erik as nothing but a monster. Hell, even he believed that there was nothing else left. But maybe, if Charles saw him like this, then maybe it wasn’t true. Maybe there was a place in this world for him.

Erik didn’t know how long they had shared their minds, but at some point Charles pulled back and he became aware of his surroundings once more. The sun had moved, shining its light to the room in slightly different angle and Erik’s legs were just starting to feel strain from his squatting, but he didn’t pay any attention for either of those things, because all he could think about was Charles so close to him. They had moved so their foreheads were touching, Charles’ hands were resting on Erik’s shoulders and Erik’s own hands were gently cupping the omega’s face. This close, Erik was able to count the freckles that dusted the bridge of Charles’ nose. He could smell his true scent under the beta cologne, almost as faint as it had been in the attic. He could feel warm breath on his skin as they breathed heavily the same air and Erik’s eyes moved to look at the telepath’s sinfully red lips, slightly parted. He wondered what they would taste like. Were they as soft as they looked?

“Erik…” Charles breathed out like a plea and Erik looked up into his blue eyes. They were shining with tears, some of them already ran down his cheeks and only then Erik felt mirroring tracks on his own face. He moved his thumbs and dried Charles’ tears.

“What do you need Charles?” Erik’s voice came out as deep alpha rumble. He wanted to give Charles everything.

“I- I don’t know.” Charles chocked out, his grip on Erik’s shoulders tightening just slightly. “Everything is just too overwhelming. I don’t know.” Erik had never heard Charles sound so unsure and something inside him demanded him to do something, to comfort his omega, hold him close and protect him from everything. Erik had always been very aware of his alpha instincts, he’d been taught to control them, to use them in a fight or to intimidate, just another weapon in his arsenal. But never had they felt this strong in his life. He took a second to compose himself. That wasn’t what Charles needed from him right now. So, slowly Erik moved their heads and kissed the crown of Charles head, hoping that the gesture would be soothing to the telepath. He felt how a chill ran through Charles before he moved back so they were still close, but not as close as they had been before. They looked at each other and Erik moved his hands on Charles’ shoulders.

“Small steps?” He asked, smiling and felt his heart swell when Charles returned the smile, eyes shining with hope. Hope that Erik felt too.

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

They took a moment to compose themselves. Charles busied himself with putting away the papers he’d been working on before and Erik had to stand up to stretch his legs.

“I’ve never felt anything like that before.” Erik remarked after a minute and when Charles turned to look at him quizzically, he waved his hand close to his temple. “That. It felt nice.” Though nice didn’t cut it. It had been much more than nice. Charles smiled at him, seemingly pleased to hear that Erik liked his powers.

“It was, wasn’t it. I’ve never used my powers quite like that before.” His confession surprised Erik.

“Really? Not even with Raven?” He asked and Charles shrugged.

“When we were younger I used my powers more with her. We even used to share our dreams, have little adventures there.” Charles smiled, clearly thinking about those adventures he had shared with his sister, and let out a small sigh. “But as we grew older, Raven wanted to have her privacy. Understandable, one’s thoughts are the most private thing we carry. We made a pact of sorts, I wouldn’t read her mind without permission and she wouldn’t try to use her alpha voice on me.” He explained and while he sounded like it wasn’t a huge deal, it still didn’t sit well with Erik. It was strange in a way. Just couple days earlier Erik wouldn’t wanted Charles anywhere near his thoughts, but now that seemed unfair. Charles, like any mutant, deserved to be free to use his powers and be accepted as he was. But maybe that was a conversation for another day.

“Did she try to do that often?” He asked instead, wanting to know if he needed to have a couple strong words with the young woman, but Charles’ light laugh reassured him that it wasn’t necessary.

“Just a couple of times, when we had a spat. She always apologised later.” Erik nodded. It was typical behaviour for alpha children and with right guidance a healthy part of growing up to be a proper alpha. Charles’ step brother was a prime example what happened if that guidance wasn’t there. “It wasn’t easy for her either. Living in here. She had to hide from everyone except me and she was often frustrated. But she didn’t want to leave me here alone, so she stayed and I’ll always be grateful for that. It has been me and her against the world ever since.”

Erik mulled this over, his mind going back to the conversation between Raven and Hank.

“She didn’t question why you didn’t nest.” The statement was half a question. An opening for Charles to talk more, if he wished.

“No. Me being a mutant like her was much more interesting than me being a quirky omega. Although, I did use to read to her at night, before we went to sleep. We’d cuddle close on her bed and I read until she fell asleep. I’ve never thought of it as nesting, but maybe it was something akin to that.” Charles mused.

“Do you miss it?” Erik asked and the telepath tilted his head in thought.

“It’s been so long, I don’t quite remember what proper nesting felt like. But, I think a part of me has always missed it.” Charles seemed to get lost in thought when Erik got an idea. With few steps he walked to Charles and took his hand once more.

“You know what they say Charles,-“ He smirked at his confused friend and pulled him up. “-there is no time like the present.” And without letting go of Charles hand, he led them out of the study and to the hallway.

“What? Erik, where are we going?” Charles managed to ask, his thoughts clearly still trying to catch up.

“To your bedroom.” Erik answered with nonchalant tone.

“What? Why?” Charles spluttered, but still letting himself to be led through the hallway.

“To make you a nest.” They were almost at the door of Charles’ bedroom now.

“Don’t be ridiculous Erik. There is no need- We- You don’t have to.” They came to a halt in front of the omega’s door and finally Erik turned to look at Charles, whose face was red from embarrassment and he didn’t meet Erik’s eyes.

“No, we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.” Erik assured and then gently lifted the other man’s chin with his fingers so he was looking Erik in the eye. “Do you want to make a nest Charles?” He asked and watched Charles swallow. Maybe this was too much and Erik had gotten carried away? It could have been seconds or minutes that he waited anxiously for Charles’ answer, holding his breath without realizing it. But eventually Charles responded, looking away to the side.

“I think I’d like to.” The words made Erik’s heart flutter and he felt a smile lift corners of his lips. He moved his hand that wasn’t holding Charles’ towards the door, which swung open lightly with his powers. The delight on Charles’ face from such mundane use of his powers made him feel unreasonably smug.

“After you.” He gestured and Charles chuckled at him.

“Why thank you.” He said cheerfully, the earlier shyness disappearing as he walked in, Erik following right behind him.

Erik had been in Charles’ room before, though briefly. It looked mostly the same, it was a big room with two tall windows and its own bathroom. There were tall bookshelves lining the walls, a smaller desk than the one in the study and an armchair close to the fireplace. There were several dirty teacups on available surfaces and stacks of books and papers here and there which made the room feel lived in. Most prominent thigs in the room though, were a huge dark wooden wardrobe and a four poster bed so big Erik hadn’t seen one like it before, with dark blue sheets and many pillows. Those would come in handy in a moment. The bed was made, though hastily it seemed, which made Erik raise an eyebrow.

“Oh hush. I’m going to mess them anyway when I go to sleep so why bother.” Charles told him, hands on his hips, and Erik raised his hands.

“I said nothing.” He smirked and Charles pointed an accusing finger towards him.

“But you thought about it.” His accusation was lighthearted, his tone teasing.

“I knew I should have been more careful around a telepath.” Erik shrugged, until he realised that his words may have been slightly insensitive. When had he started to care about something like that? “I guess you have lowered my defences with your charms.” He continued with a light tone, making sure that Charles knew he was just joking. But it seemed that Charles had spent enough time with him to know his dry sense of humour and just flipped his hair smiling smugly.

“Only one of my many natural talents.” He boasted jokingly until he cracked up with laughter, which Erik joined.

Soon enough Charles turned towards the bed, biting his lower lip with contemplation.

“So where should we begin?” He asked, frowning at the pillows on his bed. Erik turned to look at the bed as well.

“First you have to choose where you want to build it.” Erik advised. “The bed is a good place to build, because it’s soft, but if you want to, you can build it somewhere else like in front of the fireplace.” Charles took a moment and looked around his room before he decided.

“I think the bed is good. Do we need more blankets?” His eyes were measuring the bed, starting to get lost on this new project already.

“It might to be a good idea to have few in hand. Just in case.” Erik suggested and the next second Charles was already walking to the wardrobe.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll just grab some and we can start.”

The building process was swift, although at some points Charles stopped to think rather long and seriously how he should stack the pillows. Luckily Erik was able to give some insight how to make things work so they didn’t get stuck forever.

“You are quite talented at nest building, my friend. Can I ask how you became so skilful?” Charles asked when they were adding the finishing touches to the nest. The question took Erik off guard. He hadn’t really thought about it. This wasn’t anything he had heard recently and he certainly hadn’t learnt it from Shaw. It only left one possibility and even though he tried to chase those memories down, they stayed far from his reach.

“I’m sorry Erik, if I overstepped somehow. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Erik hadn’t realized how long he had stayed silent until Charles spoke again, looking at him with worried expression. Erik shook his head to clear it.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I’ve lost those memories long ago.” He explained, bitter anger lifting its head inside of him again.

Silence fell in the room, both of them just standing still as Erik tried to calm his mind.

“Maybe they are not forever lost.” Charles broke the silence and Erik turned to frown at him. The younger man took a step closer to Erik so he was standing beside him and wiggled his fingers close to his temple. “Maybe I could…” He left the question hanging and Erik felt something dangerous then. A small spark of hope. He swallowed debating with himself for a moment, until he nodded.

“Alright.” If there was even a small chance to get just few of those memories back, he would take it. Charles pressed his fingers against his own temple and after a brief moment of hesitation brought his other hand close to Erik’s head and gently pressed his fingers against his temple too. Erik closed his eyes and soon he felt Charles’ warm presence enter inside his mind with a small flicker like a greeting. Erik felt a corner of his mouth pull up just slightly. Adorable, he thought and received a mental equivalent of a slap to the arm before he felt Charles push deeper. Erik felt like a rope was tied around his chest too tight. What would Charles see? Could he see Erik the same way afterwards?

Suddenly a memory was brought in front of his mind. It was his childhood home and he was sitting in a nest with his mother, listening carefully as she spoke. He couldn’t hear the words, but he knew what she was saying. How to be a good alpha. How he one day would respect and cherish his omega. His mother had been a beta, but she had had omega siblings. She had thought him that even though nesting was something inherent to omegas, both alphas and betas often found it calming too. His mother smiled at him and when she moved to brush his hair with her hand, Erik felt the ghost sensation against his own head.

The memory faded slowly away, but Erik didn’t want it to leave yet. He didn’t want to forget again!

 _‘Don’t worry. It will be with you for now on.’_ Charles reassured him and reluctantly, Erik let it go. They came back to and Erik saw very familiar sight of Charles close to him, tears in his eyes. His own tears were running free down his cheeks and there was something hard stuck in his throat. Charles was looking at him with sincere expression, looking as open as Erik felt right then. The omega moved to wipe Erik’s tears, just like the alpha had done to him in the library.

“That was beautiful memory. Thank you my friend.” Charles murmured and Erik shook his head, still trying to put himself together. He felt raw, exposed. If someone attacked him now, he couldn’t do anything about it. But yet, he felt whole, like a piece of him that had been missing was now put back in its place.

“No Charles, thank you. I didn’t know I still had that.” His voice was raspy from emotion.

“I told you there is more good in you.” Charles smiled and Erik found himself returning it. He felt lighter inside somehow and not for the first time he wondered what would his life have become, if he hadn’t stayed with Charles and just walked away. So much less in every way, he guessed.

“Second time I’ve cried within one hour. This could ruin my reputation.” He said lightly, smirking at Charles, who laughed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” He tried to sound serious, but couldn’t keep his smile in check.

They moved apart and Erik turned to look at the bed and the nest there. It was ready and he was sure Charles wanted some space now. Building a nest together was already something only families or courting couples did and Erik had already overstepped his boundaries in his haste to make Charles feel better.

“I should probably leave you to it then.”

“No!” Charles’ urgent voice rang in the room, taking Erik by surprise. The omega was looking at him with almost hurt expression and was holding onto Erik’s hand with almost desperate grip. Erik was completely dumbfounded, not understanding what was going on. Charles though, realising his confusion, let his grip soften before he spoke again, quieter this time. “Please stay.” Erik couldn’t believe the words. Omegas didn’t share their nest with alphas unless they were family or their mate. Did this mean Charles was considering him as a potential mate? Erik couldn’t claim that the notion hadn’t crossed his mind at some points during their time together. After all, Charles was very desirable man, both his body and mind alluring to Erik in a way he hadn’t felt before. But was Erik going to be selfish enough to accept when he knew that Charles deserved someone better? Someone who wasn’t broken and twisted inside. But a mere thought of some other alpha taking care of Charles and holding him close made Erik’s blood boil. Something primal whispering to him that there was no other Alpha who could possibly be ready to give Charles everything they had. The thought almost scared Erik, as he realised that there was nothing he wouldn’t give up for this wonderful man in front of him. So, he took Charles hands in his and made sure that he was an alpha he deserved.

“Are you sure you’ll be comfortable with that?” He asked, not wanting to push Charles into anything. He was rewarded with brightest of smiled he had ever seen on his face.

“My friend, I don’t think I’ve ever been more comfortable with anyone else than I’m with you, in my entire life.” He confessed and Erik wasn’t sure if there was a way to be happier than this.

“Alright.” Erik nodded and toed off his shoes, Charles following his example before he seemed to get nervous again. To be honest, Erik felt like a nervous wreck too, but he tried to keep it from showing. “Get yourself comfortable first.” He encouraged the omega, pushing him gently towards the bed and keeping a close eye for any signs of discomfort, but there was none. Charles sat on edge of the bed first, giving one last check at the nest there and moved one pillow that wasn’t in the right place. The nest was shaped like a half circle, opening towards the door. Erik approved this as it made it easier to guard the door for intruders. But the thought of the reason why Charles had decided to build it that way made Erik’s skin crawl. There was no changing the past, but if Erik ever encountered this Cain, he’d make sure that he paid for what he had done.

When Charles was pleased with the nest, he climbed on the bed and knelt in the middle of it. He stayed there for a moment and looked thoughtful, before he lied down on his side, facing Erik. He looked up at Erik with a bashful smile and nodded, giving him a permission to join him. There was enough room behind him for Erik to lie down. Moving carefully, so he didn’t break down any parts of the nest, Erik maneuvered himself so he was lying behind Charles and after some consideration, put one arm around Charles’ waist but still kept some space between their bodies. He felt Charles stiffen for a moment, before he relaxed again.

“Is this okay?” Erik still asked and Charles nodded.

“Yeah. It feels nice.”

They laid like that for a couple of minutes, but soon it became clear, that Charles wasn’t finding it very relaxing. He was moving frequently and Erik was still able to feel some tension in his muscles.

“Relax Charles.” He murmured but just got a frustrated sigh as an answer.

“Easier said than done.” The telepath grumbled, shifting once again, trying his best to get comfortable, but with little luck. “I’m sorry.” Charles’ voice sounded beaten, like he was giving up and Erik was having none of that.

“No need for that. Are you sure I’m not making you uncomfortable?” He asked as he raised himself up with his elbow. It would pain him greatly to leave Charles now, but Charles’ comfort was more important. Fortunately that wasn’t the case.

“Yes. I just don’t seem to be able to calm my mind.” Charles sighed and Erik was reminded of the book in the attic and what the omega had told him earlier in the library.

“Would it help if you read to me?” Charles turned to look at him, looking surprised, so Erik hurried to explain. “You used to do that with Raven and there were some books in your old nest.” His words made Charles frown and bite his lip with thought. Erik couldn’t help but stare.

“It might work. If you don’t mind, that is.” Charles inquired, and Erik shook his head.

“Not at all. I think I will enjoy it.” The thought of just being able to listen Charles’ voice while they nested made his heart sing with anticipation. Charles smiled at him, maybe he caught that thought.

“Alright.” He moved up, just enough that he was able to reach a book with white and blue cover. “I’ve been reading The Once and Future King by T. H. White. It’s an old friend of mine. I hope it is okay with you.” Erik was a bit surprised that he recognised the book.

“I’ve read it too. I rather enjoyed it.” Someone had left a copy in a motel room he had stayed a night once. He had been tempted to take it with him, but he had had to travel lightly and had no time for distractions. Though he had sometimes regretted the decision on long train rides and such.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Charles approved and lied back down. As he did that, he also moved closer to Erik than before, his back now touching Erik’s chest. The newfound closeness made the alpha freeze, he had not expected that, but he recovered quickly enough and pulled Charles just a little bit closer. Charles turned his head to give him a happy smile, before he opened the book.

Charles started reading. His voice was warm and soothed Erik immensely. All of it was just so normal and domestic and Erik felt both himself and Charles relax as time went on. After a while though, Charles’ reading started to slow down and his voice became muffled by yawns every now and then. Erik didn’t have time to ask if the omega wanted to stop when he was already out and asleep, the book falling closed in his hands. Sharing a room with the telepath had taught Erik many things about him and one of those was that Charles was a heavy sleeper. Once he fell asleep that was. Still, he moved carefully when he took the book from the telepaths hands and moved it further away from them on the nest. The action made him hover over the sleeping man and Erik couldn’t help but stop and look for a moment. Charles looked beautiful, dark eyelashes contrasting the fair skin and cherry red lips parted slightly as he breathed. He looked peaceful like this, no trace of stress that had been crushing him for days on his features. The sight took Erik’s breath away, not only for its beauty, but because Charles trusted him with this. Erik had always thought that for the rest of his life, however short it might be, he would be alone. No omega would feel safe around an alpha like him. But here was Charles, who had survived abuse from those who were supposed to care for him, sleeping in arms of a man whose hands were stained with blood. It didn’t make any sense to Erik, but he was too selfish to let him go. Erik lied back down, his nose almost buried in the soft chestnut hair of the telepath and he swore, that he would never hurt Charles and do anything to keep him safe. Even if it meant sacrificing his search for revenge. The devotion for his omega made everything in Erik’s mind stop, but in his heart the alpha knew it was the truth. If it came to it and he had to choose between protecting Charles and killing Shaw, the answer was obvious.

Charles moving in his arms caught Erik’s attention and he lifted his arm slightly to give the omega more room to do so. To his surprise, Charles turned around so he was facing Erik and wrapped an arm around the alpha’s waist, burying his face in Erik’s shirt, nuzzling him before he settled down with a content sigh. Erik felt his face heat as he tried to process what just happened, but now his nose was buried in Charles’ soft hair and the smell of his omega was filling him with bone deep contentment. He lowered his arm and stroked Charles’ back with his hand in lazy pace, closing his eyes. Maybe he could rest for a little while too.

…

Raven walked towards her brother’s room with increasing annoyance. One would think a fully grown man could be able to take care of himself, but here she was making sure that he didn’t starve to death. The dinner was almost ready and only people who were missing were Charles and Erik. If the alpha didn’t remember to join them, well it wasn’t her problem. But as an alpha family member, adopted or not, she had to make sure that Charles was there or she couldn’t eat in peace. She’d already checked the study, finding it empty, so she hoped Charles would be in his room. If he wasn’t, then Raven would need to punch something. She was too old for a game of hide and seek.

She knocked on the door when she reached it, but didn’t bother to wait for an answer.

“Charles, come on, time to-“, Her words were cut shortly as she saw what was happening in the room. There was Charles. On his bed. In a nest. With Erik. Erik, who had raised his head the moment the door had opened and was now staring at Raven with hard eyes. Raven felt her skin fickle as she bared her teeth at the alpha nesting with her brother. How dare he? What kind of twisted tricks had he used on poor Charles to make this happen? Raven had trusted him and here he was violating her omega brother’s space! Erik bared his own teeth and moved so his upper body was over Charles. A protective stance. A low growl made its way through his teeth and he seemed ready to jump her. Oh, let him come. Raven would teach that brute of an alpha that her brother was not his to take!

But before she could let out an answering growl and start a fight a new sound filled the room. Low, and very quiet. So quiet that Raven would have missed it if Erik hadn’t stopped his own growling the moment it started, looking down at Charles with dumbfounded expression. Raven was sure her own expression mirrored his. Charles was purring. He was purring while stuck in a nest with Erik. Raven had no idea what to think about this. She’d never heard Charles purr. Such an omega thing was foreign for Charles. But here he was purring and snuggling closer to Erik who looked almost terrified of what was happening. Raven was suddenly disappointed that she didn’t have a camera with her, because the expression was priceless on such serious alpha’s face. Maybe she could practice it in front of a mirror later.

But for now, it seemed that Charles wasn’t actually in any danger and her alpha instincts started to calm down. That didn’t mean that Erik was completely off the hook though. Raven coughed quietly so she didn’t wake Charles up, though it was highly unlikely, to get Erik’s attention.

“We’ll talk about this later!” She hissed, pointing at Erik, who just frowned at her. “And the dinner is ready, so be there.” She didn’t wait for an answer, a small act of dominance against the other alpha, and just walked away. As she made her way towards the kitchen, her head cleared somewhat. She might have over reacted. There was no way that Charles would have let himself be forced to anything by anyone. He knew how to take care of himself and had the power to do it.

She was mostly calmed down when she arrived to the kitchen, where the boys had already set the table and Moira’s chicken pasta was already being served. But as she walked in and other’s turned to look at her, they stopped what they were doing and were left staring. Raven felt the annoyance come back with full force.

“What?” She snapped and Sean was the first who got his mouth to work, despite of it being full of food.

“What’s with the eyes?” He asked and Raven looked her reflection on a pot that was hanging on a wall. Her natural yellow eyes greeted her there and she let out a frustrated growl, before focusing and making them blue again.

“Fucking Lehnsherr.” She growled and didn’t elaborate when others gave him questioning looks, just sitting down instead and filled her plate with pasta. They’d see soon enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Hmmm, I'm starting to see a pattern here... I just realised that all my cherik week fics, except for one, have the character(s) in bed at the end. XD I just have a thing for cuddles okay! Don't judge me!


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